6 Comic-Con 2012 Panels You Just Can't Miss

If you're not going, all I ask is that you just be happy for those that are.

It’s that time of year again. Time for fans of all entertainment to descend upon San Diego, call themselves “nerds,” then chase celebrities like TMZ photographers on a meth bender. That’s right, ladies and germs, it’s Comic-Con 2012. For those of you lucky enough to attend, we’ve provided a super-helpful guide of the best panels the convention has to offer.

For those on the outside looking in, we’re betting that your seething jealousy will cause you to keep reading, your only comfort the cold knowledge of what could have been.

Game Of Thrones – Friday, 7/13 at 2:45 PM

What’s better than seeing Rose Leslie, Alfie Allen, Emilia Clarke, Michelle Fairley and Richard Madden all onstage together? Watching casual fans trying to divorce the actors from their uber-serious characters. The only real strike against this panel is a near-criminal lack of Dinklage. Fortunately, this is the last year we need concern ourselves with such matters, as next year legislation will be enacted to ensure that Peter Dinklage must sit on all panels, even if he has nothing to do with him. I’m looking forward to seeing him hang out with the cast of Sons of Anarchy and HBO’s Girls.

The Walking Dead – Friday, July 14th at 1:25 PM

This show manages to be live up to its potential just often enough that it keeps people tuning in week after week to wonder if this is the week the show FINALLY lives up to its potential. A pretty awesome strategy if you ask me.

Going into season three, the gang has braved a whole ton of zombies and managed to survive some truly terrible leadership and decision-making to survive more or less in one piece. Perhaps the best part of this panel will be watching the kid who plays Carl show up looking like Colin Farrell even though he’s supposed to play a 13 year old.

In the wake of the season two finale revelations, everyone wants to know more about Michonne, the ninja sword badass who keeps armless zombie as her pets/bodyguards, which is something so cool I can’t even talk about it without getting a nosebleed.

The first interesting character in the show’s history should spark some interesting conversation. But if that’s not enough, know that the panel is moderated by Chris Hardwick of the Nerdist podcast.

Breaking Bad – Friday, 7/13 at 6:45 PM

For those who don’t know, Breaking Bad is a drama on its fourth season on AMC. It focuses on a high school scienc-

COME ON! It’s Breaking Bad. It’s the best drama on TV, and it’s heading into it’s final season or its final two seasons, depending on how you divvy up those last 16 episodes.

The cast and crew have become almost legendarily good at keeping plot points to themselves, so don’t expect anything more than cryptic half-messages and generalities about the upcoming season five, but you can look forward to watching creator Vince Gilligan interact with with cast members Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte and Jonathan Banks.

That’s right. Jonathan Banks. You can watch Mike the Cleaner do his thing live on stage. Will he help someone get rid of a corpse? Maybe. Probably. Yeah.

Community – Friday, 7/13 at 10:00 AM

Want to watch the actors of a popular(ish) spend an hour avoiding the elephant in the room? Of course you do. So catch up with the stars of Community, save for Donald Glover and Chevy “Reputed Bastard” Chase as they talk about what’s in store for season four while they pretend that there’s nothing weird or unsettling about how showrunner and creator Dan Harmon was given the ole’ boot-a-rino from the show.

Seriously, short of these guys revealing that Mitt Romney will be appearing for a six-episode arc, I think these guys are going to come across like Charlie Brown’s teacher for 60 minutes. But if they do talk about Harmon’s exit, and it will be very hard for them not to, then expect headlines, whether the show wants them or not.

Marvel Studios – Saturday, 7/14 at 6 PM

If ever there was a panel tailor made for Comic-Con with its bombast and nerd appeal, it’s probably Marvel’s annual must-see panel, which is kept under a shroud of secrecy but will undoubtedly include trailers, guest appearances, and just enough information to beget more questions than answers.

The guests haven’t been announced, save for a couple, but it’s everyone’s guess that Iron Man 3 will be the star of the show, while less mainstream fans will be pulling for some information or test reels on Edgar Wright’s Ant Man. The masses are also eager to learn what the next movie announcement will be. The smart money is on Guardians of the Galaxy or Black Panther, which may indicate that Marvel is making films based on comic book characters I haven’t even come close to hearing of.

Twilight – Thursday, 7/12 at 12:45 PM

Say what you want about the Twilight cast (and chances are, you will), but don’t accuse them of being disloyal. They have appeared at every Comic-Con for the past six years or so, promoting their films and just generally making themselves accessible to their fans, which is pretty cool of them, even if they make bad movies for mentally challenged people.

They’re back in sunny San Diego to promote Breaking Dawn Part 2, which is scheduled to hit theaters in November whether you want it to or not.

On a decidedly dramatic, macabre, and generally un-Twilight note, a fan was killed after being struck by a car while waiting for the panel, so perhaps a more-somber-than-normal tone will be carried during this period. That should be pretty weird, no?